Emergency legislation signed this week by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will authorize licensed pharmacies to administer COVID-19 vaccinations without a prescription.
Changes in federal recommendations this year made it a requirement for those who wanted the COVID-19 vaccine to get a prescription first, unless a person was 65 or older or was considered at risk. The Centers for Disease Control’s immunization schedule lists the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine, but not the 2025-26 version — leaving the newer shots subject to a prescription requirement.
That has resulted in several states resorting to implementing their own policies to negate the need for a prescription, which was not required in previous years since the pandemic.
“D.C. will now match both Maryland and Virginia, so that residents don’t have to travel out of state to be able to get access to the vaccine,” said At-Large Council member Christina Henderson, who chairs the Committee on Health.
It was her bill that was passed 12-0 by the council and signed by Mayor Bowser.
Eligible Virginians also now have an easier time getting vaccines due to an order issued by the Virginia Department of Health two weeks ago. Neighboring Maryland will also protect access to vaccines for all of its residents with flu season approaching.
“The D.C. Department of Insurance Securities and Banking has required that all insurance plans in the District continue to cover all vaccines that were approved as of last December through 2026,” Henderson added.
Henderson is concerned that the current administration is not focused on proven, health-based practices.
“I do wish that the federal government would get back on track in terms of truly following the science, as opposed to these associations not correlations that they are seeing in research,” she said.
She pointed to President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that pregnant women should not take Tylenol because he said — without any supporting scientific evidence — that there is a link between acetaminophen and autism in children. The maker of Tylenol, Kenvue, as well as numerous scientific groups immediately and forcefully rebuked that claim.
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